February 13, 2010

J. Crew Fall 2010

Through GQ, and in keeping with NYFW for Fall 2010, we get a look at what J. Crew is offering this coming fall. ALREADY! Spring merchandise has only flooded the stores for a short while, but of course, it's already time to look ahead into the future.

For fall, based on the selected looks GQ used to showcase Frank Muytjens' directorship over at J. Crew men's -- these images come from GQ/CFDA's Best New Designers in America event held a couple night's ago -- we clearly get a continuation of the themes and aesthetics that Muytjens' has brought to the company. There's clearly an Americana workwear element once again as shown through the boots and sturdy dark denim pieces, infused with military-inspired looks through utility jackets and muted colors (navy, olive, khaki, grey). This is all complemented with tailored slimmed down suiting complete with cropped pant hems. I'm personally enamoured with that Fair Isle sweater, that definitely ends up on the top of my list of things to look out for later this year. I didn't include the shot of Daniel Liu in this series, as I already posted on him (here), but I'm also going to keep my eyes open for that olive cardi he's sporting when the time comes.

Close fitting suits of this specific silhouette and cut are nothing new, especially when one conjures up previous Thom Browne and Band of Outsiders collections, and in general, American-inspired fashion is still in the midst of enjoying a hey-day of sorts. So in a way, J. Crew really isn't doing anything more than what it does best -- translating key trends and concepts in fashion and making them acceptable to the mainstream perspective. And although I do appreciate that J. Crew does this with a much softer pricepoint, and what that in turn can do for my need-to-look-presentable portion of my wardrobe, doesn't this all usually mean it's time to move on and see what's next? So my next question is, does this really make Muytjens worthy of being nominated for the title of Best New American Designer? The award actually went to Billy Reid, and personally, I would have voted for Vincent Flumiani of Caulfield Preparatory, who doesn't just adopt a look/trend (the ever-present collegiate and erudite preppy casual), but...subversifies it and turns it into a darker less-explored look...umm perhaps a visualization/interpretation of a certain J.D. Salinger character, anyone?

But I digress. So back to J. Crew, what happens when the bubble for this trend bursts, as pondered by the team over at Fashionista? I agree with the notion that there will always be a devoted following to the looks that just happen to also dictate the current style of the times, but is that enough to support a big company like J. Crew?